Arlo’s Birth Sneak Peek . Bellevue Birth Photographer

It was 1 week and 1 day past her due date. I got a text sometime in the evening, saying she might be in early labor. I wrote back, “please keep me updated, I’ll head up there anytime, even 3AM!“

A few hours later I hear the faint sound of my text notification going off. I roll over in bed, and looked at the clock. 2 something. I read the text and realized I needed to head up to the birth center ASAP. I called my sister, because my husband was out of town and within 20 minutes was out the door (yes I know, I owe my sister big time!! :P).

The labor was going to be a med-free birth center delivery. After a few hours there, the contractions started to fade away. Mama-to-be was getting tired, frustrated, etc. and decided to head home to try and rest before real labor began. This was just the pre-show. I am glad we decided to pack it up and head back that morning, because I was able to get home by 7AM, take over for my sister before the kids woke up, do most of the daily routine, take a nap and hang out for a few hours before leaving again at 2:30 PM.

By the time I got back there, labor was in full swing. Contractions were strong and frequent. She had been laboring for a very long time with no end in sight and decided to finish it off at the hospital. The mood at the hospital was much different than the birth center. Much less calming. Much less welcoming, but it also felt more “real”. Baby was coming…

Around 10 pm, about 18 hours after her water broke, her fever was spiking and progress was stalled. Doctor’s insisted on a c-section. The mood in the room suddenly became very sad… but there was no time to dwell. A beautiful baby was about to be born!

Here are a few photos. The first two are from the birth center. The other ones were taken after the whirlwind that occurred when they said it was c-section time.